Caretaker suspected of abusing little girl

PORT ORCHARD — A Port Orchard woman was arrested Monday night on suspicion of assaulting a child in her care.

Relatives of a 3-year-old girl reported possible abuse to child protective services, which notified Port Orchard Police on July 17. The girl was taken the next day to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Seattle. She was bruised over much of her body. X-rays revealed healed fractures in a shoulder and foot. She was placed in protective custody, said Cmdr. Dale Schuster of the Port Orchard Police.

“That’s our No. 1 goal, to make sure the child is safe even when we’re in the middle of an investigation,” Schuster said.

Police investigated the past couple weeks and determined the suspect is a 22-year-old partner of the girl’s mother, who was also the girl’s caretaker. The woman wouldn’t talk to police. She was booked into the Kitsap County jail on $300,000 bail.